Jun 15, 2016

Looking over the past few years, there have been several instances where prestigious fashion houses kindly extended an invitation to the general public and allowed shoppers to attend one of their exclusive private sample sales: Bottega Veneta, Fendi, and Marc Jacobs, just to name a few. Well folks, we can now add one more brand to this list because, despite their notorious reputation for enforcing a super strict door policy, la maison Lanvin finally caved and opened its doors to the public for the first time (have the fashion gods been watching over us?). The event, held at C21, started today, and so I quickly hopped, skipped, and jumped my way downtown to see what was on offer.

Surprisingly, the turnout this morning was very modest. With less than 20 shoppers in queue at 8am, I entered the venue without the usual clamor we've all come to expect at a high profile sample sale. Therefore, I took advantage of this rare opportunity and browsed the sale goods at a sedate pace.

Alber Elbaz's past collections for Lanvin were laid out on both the main floor and upper level. Handbags, small leather goods, scarves, belts, hats, jewelry, sunglasses, ties, and bow ties were displayed on the first floor while womenswear, menswear, shoes, and girls apparel & shoes were housed on the second floor.

The bag section held lots of seasonal and classic styles from the Elbaz era. Everything was a flat 80% off the original retail price. Some of the highlights included medium Sugar bags in silver for $498, medium Happy bags in black lambskin for $350, Shopper leather totes in black for $290, mini Happy crossbodies in black for $340, and medium crocodile Happy bags for $3,400 (salmon pink) & $4,600 (navy). There were also Trilogy satchels in various leathers and colors, evening clutches, quilted pouches, Sugar studded crossbody bags, and mini Rigid bags.

Located on the opposite side of the main floor were multiple vitrines that showcased Lanvin's costume jewelry and sunglasses. Everything here was also 80% off. Generally speaking, sunglasses were all under $120 while statement jewelry was priced $100~$700.

Moving upstairs, women's shoes were the first thing I noticed when I made it to the second floor. Unfortunately, Lanvin's blue boxes were stacked in a very unorganized fashion, so you'll have to dig through almost every box to find your size. However, I guarantee prices will make up for all the hard work because everything was 80% off. The brand's classic ballet flats, for instance, were available in a slew of different shades and styles, and I spotted patent leather, suede, basic calfskin, snakeskin, bow-embellished, and cap-toe. Prices on these flats were $97~$150 depending on the design.

Womenswear was also 80% off retail and the merchandise included evening dresses, furs, blouses, skirts, jackets, coats, and pants. As for men's offerings, the sale carried blazers, button-down shirts, and dress pants.

The biggest steal was in the girls' section. Shoes, apparel, and accessories were 90% off and the selection was too adorable and chic to not mention. If you have a little fashionista at home, you really must stop by.

Several staffers informed me there are unopened boxes in the back (including more bags) that they plan on bringing out as the floor inventory falls, so bear that in mind. All in all, I highly recommend checking out this event if you've never had the opportunity to shop at a Lanvin sample sale before, as prices and selection were much better than last year's sale. Also, it's a chance to grab a piece or two of Alber Elbaz's incredible designs for the label before they disappear for good.

32 comments:

Judging by today, it really felt like the brand was trying to clean out all of their remaining inventory from Alber Elbaz. I wouldn't be surprised if they drop prices at the end of the sale, but we'll have to wait and see. I'll keep you posted.

I went at lunchtime (12:15 ish). Very small line outside when I left - maybe 7 people, but everyone was getting in quickly. Selection was still pretty good, but my main focus was shoes. I scored two pairs of flats for $226 total w/tax. They retailed together for over $1000, so I was very happy?

There was no line around 1 pm. However, the bags that remained by that time were mostly higher priced exotics, some metallic and few totes. No black Happy bags anymore. There were a few people around hoarding a bunch of bags though. Plenty of flats remaining but mostly in size 36 and 40. They do seem to be replenishing the shoes as they were bringing out the boxes constantly, but again mostly in the same sizes. The soles on some of them appear to be a little worn.

Yesterday around 6 pm there were just a few bags left (mostly expensive exotics). Still good selection of backpacks, they seem to be not popular at all. I was there when they removed glass shelves from 2 racks downstairs and put clothing there since all bags were gone. Shoe selection was cleared pretty good too.

Just left. There's no line and the place is pretty empty (ie great shopping experience). Found two pairs of two tone ballets (black and blue - good basic colors), a briefcase for under $300, and a pair of kids boots for just $55!!

Just left from there. Still a decent amount of women's shoes, albeit considerably less than yesterday. Kids shoes have dwindled though. Girls clothing is cute and plentiful and the best deal. Not many people either.

Thank you Mizhattan for informing of this sale - you are the first one and I was excited since then! I went in yesterday morning and echo others' reviews. Shoe selection was decent for size 36 and 40+ but not too many. I saw one 35.5 (flats). RTWs were mainly bigger sizes-over 40. Kids selection was the best deal with 90% off. I got two classic ballet flats and one top and I love them!Does anybody know if there will be any further reduction today? There were a couple of RTW and flats I wanted to get but the RTW price was still too high to justify the purchase so I gave up. Would really appreciate if someone knows if this will happen or not.

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